WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — American military leaders say China is closing the gap with U.S. military technology.
“We are bearing witness to a fundamental change in the character of war,” Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a congressional budget hearing Thursday. “In particular, China is increasing its military capability at a very serious and sustained rate. We must ensure we maintain our competitive and technological edge against this pacing threat.”
The warning comes just days after China released video of war games with their forces practicing amphibious assaults. Experts see it as a direct threat to Taiwan – a key American ally and democratic outpost off China’s coast.
“How can you tell our troops that we are prioritizing their mission — defending America — when it is clear again from this document and from the Biden administration’s budget that it’s dead last?” Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Ar. said. “To be respectful to Gen. Milley and [Defense Secretary Lloyd] Austin, they didn’t have a very good answer because there’s no good answer, there’s no good answer.”
A poster produced by the People’s Liberation Army’s 80th Group Army Political Work Department came out in the past few days. Newsweek reports the Chinese text translates to “prepare for war.”